Episodes
Saturday May 27, 2017
Episode 189: Draw Me Like One of Your French Opens, 2017
Saturday May 27, 2017
Saturday May 27, 2017
It's Slamming time again! Ben and Courtney break down the French Open draws for both the men's and women's.
On the women's side, where there are many favorites to choose from, who got the best and worst draws? And whose great draws and good recent forms could lead them to a second consecutive semifinal (or better)? There are multiple correct answers to that one.
On the men's side, could this be a tournament to get Murray or Djokovic back on track? Or is Rafael Nadal just too far ahead of the pack?
And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread! Engage with other listeners!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR189!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.
Tuesday May 23, 2017
Episode 188: Cautiously Sliding on Clay
Tuesday May 23, 2017
Tuesday May 23, 2017
In our first somewhat normal show together since the European clay swing began in earnest, Ben and Courtney catch up on what has happened in the past several weeks, from Stuttgart to Madrid to Rome.
Firstly, we assess the form and future of Maria Sharapova, the predominant protagonist of those tournaments, even if her runs ended early at the last two. Where does she go from here?
Also, we (again, sorry) wonder if there's any sense to be made of the women's side, and Courtney enjoys that caution actually seems to be the prevailing reaction to any forecasting of what might happen at the French Open.
On the men's side, how big a deal is Sascha Zverev's breakthrough title in Rome, and what should we expect from him from here? Again, we go with caution.
And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread! Engage with other listeners!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR188!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.
Tuesday May 16, 2017
Episode 187b: French Open Shuns Sharapova
Tuesday May 16, 2017
Tuesday May 16, 2017
In a decision that had been anticipated for months, French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli surprised many by not granting Maria Sharapova any wild card--not even into qualifying--for Roland Garros, locking out the two-time champion there as she continues to work on rebuilding her ranking following her 15-month absence due to a positive test.
In this short episode, Ben discusses the style, cause, and correctness of the decision with two French tennis journalists: our beloved Carole Bouchard (NCR's France correspondant) and Vincent Cognet of L'Equipe.
And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread! Engage with other listeners!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR187b!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.
Saturday May 13, 2017
Episode 187a: NCRvision Song Contest Revisited
Saturday May 13, 2017
Saturday May 13, 2017
It's Eurovision season again, and it's NCRvision season again! One year after we launched the NCRvision Song Contest, we're happy to be able to bring it back to you to gear up from the results show, which will be coming in a few days. It's possible that some of these amazing songs have faded from your memory (or that you missed them altogether), so we're bringing you this refresher of the show, a bit condensed, with a new intro and outro.
And in the grand Eurovision tradition of terrible singing by a host, there's terrible singing by a host!
(NOTE: This file originally had some issues--if your version is still only 31 minutes and not the full 1h28m, delete and redownload)
And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread! Engage with other listeners!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCRvision!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.
Thursday May 04, 2017
Episode 186: Jamie Hampton
Thursday May 04, 2017
Thursday May 04, 2017
We are delighted to be able to fulfill a wish of many of our listeners for years now by bringing on Jamie Hampton (a.k.a. Julie Hamilton) as a guest, who has been out of sight as she rehabs various injuries but not out of our minds of many listeners.
Ben and Jamie discuss her mindset as she copes with setbacks, the perspective she's gained on tour issues from being away, the current landscape of the tour, dealing with attention from traditional and social media, her more supportive stance on Maria Sharapova, her admiration of Serena and Venus Williams and the other players who inspire her.
And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread! Engage with other listeners!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR186!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.